On Monday, Los Angeles Kings forward Anze Kopitar won the second Lady Byng Memorial Trophy of his legendary career at the NHL Awards.
Kopitar, who could not attend the ceremony in Nashville, accepted the trophy via a video message. “This could not happen without my teammates,” the L.A. captain said.
The Lady Byng Memorial Trophy goes to the player who best exemplifies attributes of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct on the ice. Kopitar first won the trophy in 2016.
The Slovenian center was always going to be a strong contender for this year’s award after garnering just two penalties all season for a career-low four total penalty minutes. He beat out Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils and Brayden Point of the Tampa Bay Lightning for the trophy.
Kopitar’s discipline is all the more impressive given that he did not miss a single contest and is known for his strong two-way play as one of the best defensive forwards in NHL history.
The second Lady Byng of his career brings Kopitar’s award total to an impressive 5 individual trophies: aside from his pair of Lady Byng Trophies, Kopitar won the Selke Trophy as best defensive forward in 2016 and 2018 and the self-explanatory Mark Messier Leadership Award last season.
Kopitar’s hardware cabinet also includes two Stanley Cups with Los Angeles, where he has been leading scorer 14 times, in 2012 and 2014. An alternate captain during the Kings’ Cup triumphs, he took the ‘C’ from Dustin Brown in 2016.
Kopitar’s skill on the ice and class off it will make him a shoo-in for the Hockey Hall of Fame when the time comes. The 35-year-old has years left in the tank, though; with 28 goals and 74 points in 2022-2023, he remains an excellent first-line center.
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